People gather at the site where a cargo plane crashed into a small farming community on a small island in the White Nile river, close to Juba airport in the Hai Gabat residential area. (Charles Lomodong/AFP/Getty Images)

People gather at the site where a cargo plane crashed into a small farming community on a small island in the White Nile river, close to Juba airport in the Hai Gabat residential area. (Charles Lomodong/AFP/Getty Images)

A Russian-made cargo plane crashed shortly after taking off from Juba International Airport in South Sudan, killing at least 25 people.

Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told a news agency that the plane was carrying 18 people, including six crew members, and three of them - including a child - had survived.

He said: “We need to confirm how many people were on board.” He suggested reports of a higher death toll could due to some people being killed on the ground, adding that he had however not heard confirmation of this.

There are conflicting reports on the exact number of casualties, as some people were also killed on the ground as the Antonov An-12 cargo plane came down along the banks of the White Nile River, where the tail fin and parts of the fuselage lay close to the water.

A radio station reported the crash on Twitter, saying it happened about 800 metres (half a mile) from Juba airport.

The head of the Civil Aviation at Juba airport said emergency officials had secured the site of the crash and were "in the stage of recovering bodies and black box".

Mr Ateny said the plane was heading towards the Paloch oil fields in the north of the country.

Cargo planes to remote parts of South Sudan often carry passengers too.

The crash comes just four days after 224 people died when a Metrojet plane travelling to St Petersburg reportedly broke up in the air Sinai.